Climate-Neutral Energy Production: Technologies for the energy of the future
We currently find ourselves in the midst of the energy transition:
An ever-increasing number of regulatory policies and laws are being adopted, fossil fuels are gradually being replaced by renewable energies and a multitude of countries have set ambitious climate protection targets. Europe wants to be climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest.
The energy industry and the process industry are particularly impacted by these developments – though each of them for different reasons. In the process industry, plant operators must reduce the CO2 emissions of their plants, because these are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The energy industry must ensure that it is possible to meet increased demand for renewable energies. This transformation brings with it massive changes and presents major challenges. There is so much that needs to be completely rethought.
Renewable energies already make up a significant part of the energy mix. Wind and solar energy are contributing more and more to industry’s energy needs. To achieve the goal of climate neutrality, however, additional technologies are needed to generate, store and transport climate-friendly energy. A lot is riding on electric batteries and green hydrogen. And there is still a lot of potential in hydroelectric power and district heating. If all these technologies can be used profitably and efficiently, a climate-neutral economy will be close to becoming a reality in just a few decades.